Vote! Who is The Register-Guard high school Coach of the Year?

High school coaches throughout the Eugene-Springfield area took their teams to incredible heights during the 2025-26 school year.

Numerous local squads won state titles over the past year, while many others also made deep postseason runs.

Now, it's time for you to decide which coach was the most accomplished in Lane County during the past school year.

Vote for who you think should be The Register-Guard 2025-26 coach of the year, sponsored by Active Chiropractic.

Nominees for the 2025-26 Register Guard Coach of the Year are:

• Noah Breslaw, Marist Catholic baseball
• Jared Brougher, Junction City track and field
• Jeff Hess, South Eugene distance running
• Sarah Keim, Thurston/Mohawk swimming
• Josh Line, Willamette football
• Dennis Minium, Thurston baseball
• Shari Pimental, Marist Catholic volleyball
• Bart Pollard, Marist Catholic basketball
• Tye Rauschert, Junction City football
• Stefan Schroffner, Marist Catholic girls soccer
• Mike Simons, Thurston wrestling
• Joe Williamson, Springfield girls basketball
• Brandi Wittenborn, Creswell boys and girls soccer
• Brandy Wormdahl, North Eugene soccer

Vote for your favorite at registerguard.com/sports. The poll closes at noon Wednesday, July 15.

Noah Breslaw, Marist Catholic baseball

It was a breakthrough postseason for Marist Catholic baseball under seventh-year coach Noah Breslaw.

The Spartans fell in the 2024 and 2025 state title games but bounced back in 2026 to win a long-awaited Class 4A championship. Breslaw's squad finished 25-4 overall and 11-1 in the Sky-Em League.

Jared Brougher, Junction City track and field

Junction City's boys and girls track and field programs both shone at the state meet this spring under coach Jared Brougher.

Led by a talented group of sprinters and jumpers, the Tigers' girls took second at the Class 4A state championships at Hayward Field. On the boys side, record-setting shot-putter Kaleb Moore won his third consecutive state title.

Jeff Hess, South Eugene distance running

It was a sensational year for South Eugene's distance runners, who flourished under renowned coach Jeff Hess in his first year back leading the Axe distance program.

The Axe saw standout junior Yosuke Shibata win both the Class 6A state cross-country title and the 1,500-meter track title. Freshman Eva Johnson Hess established herself as the fastest ninth-grade girl in the nation. South Eugene's girls cross-country team placed second at the state championships despite being seeded much lower.

Also, that same Axe girls squad delivered a historic 1-7 sweep at the Southwest Conference championship meet.

Sarah Keim, Thurston/Mohawk swimming

It was a historical year for Thurston swimming, which won its first-ever boys state title in a dominant performance at the Class 5A championships.

Led by coach Sarah Keim, the Colts, who operated in a co-op with Mohawk, broke two Class 5A state meet relay records and also produced three individual winners.

Josh Line, Willamette football

As Willamette football made the leap to Class 6A, second-year head coach Josh Line led the program to its best-ever season.

The Wolverines reached the state semifinals for just the third time in school history and the first time since 2007. Along the way, Willamette showcased plenty of star power on both sides of the ball while steamrolling its way to the Southwest Conference title.

Dennis Minium, Thurston baseball

Thurston baseball and longtime head coach Dennis Minium navigated the deepest baseball league in the state and overcame some early season hurdles before catching fire in the postseason.

After finishing third in the Midwestern League, the Colts orchestrated multiple upsets in the Class 5A bracket and reached the state title game before falling to Central.

Shari Pimental, Marist Catholic girls volleyball

One of the winningest coaches in state history claimed her fourth state title last fall.

In her 33rd year leading the Marist Catholic program, Shari Pimental led the Spartans to the Class 4A championship and a 25-1 overall record. It was Marist Catholic's second title in the last three years.

Bart Pollard, Marist Catholic boys basketball

Under 15th-year head coach Bart Pollard, Marist Catholic tactfully navigated its way through the Class 4A state tournament field to win a long-awaited state title.

That came in spite of the fact that the Spartans had just one returning varsity contributor from their 2024-25 squad. Marist Catholic won its quarterfinal and semifinal matchups in blowouts before beating La Grande, 57-55, in the state final.

Tye Rauschert, Junction City football

In his first year at the helm of the Junction City football program, Tye Rauschert led the Tigers to one of their best-ever seasons.

Junction City beat longtime rival Marist Catholic — on the road no less — to capture its first Sky-Em League title since 2014. From there, it beat Stayton in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs before falling to eventual champion Cascade in a close-fought 28-20 result.

Stefan Schroffner, Marist Catholic girls soccer

It was another year filled with hardware for Marist Catholic girls soccer under seventh-year head coach Stefan Schroffner.

The Spartans captured their third Class 4A state title in four years and finished the campaign 17-1-1. Don't expect them to slow down anytime soon; Schroffner's squad is slated to return multiple all-state players in 2026.

Mike Simons, Thurston wrestling

After 23 years of chasing a state title, longtime Thurston head coach Mike Simons and the Colts boys wrestling program broke through in thrilling fashion in 2025-26.

Thurston won its first Class 5A state title since 2002. Additionally, on the girls side, the Colts sent five wrestlers to the state finals and finished sixth overall.

Joe Williamson, Springfield girls basketball

One of the more historically successful girls basketball programs in the state rolled on this season under Joe Williamson.

The Springfield girls basketball team, led by freshman forward Nuari Filipe, surged to the Class 5A state title game before losing a close-fought showdown with West Albany. The Millers finished the year 25-4.

Brandi Wittenborn, Creswell boys and girls soccer

It is difficult enough for a coach to lead one team to a state semifinal. To take two in the same season is nearly unheard of; but that is exactly what Creswell's Brandi Wittenborn did in the fall of 2025.

Wittenborn coached the Bulldogs' girls soccer team to the Class 3A state semifinal and a 15-2-2 record before falling to state champion Amity. At the same time, Wittenborn helped Creswell's boys to a 15-3 record and a final four appearance.

Brandy Wormdahl, North Eugene girls soccer

The winningest soccer coach to ever come through Lane County delivered arguably the best season of her decorated career in 2026.

Brandy Wormdahl led North Eugene girls soccer to a 17-1 overall record and an appearance in the Class 5A state title game, where the Highlanders fell in a 1-0 nailbiter against Bend. Wormdahl has since announced her retirement after 30 years at NEHS.

She ends her career as the third-winningest girls soccer coach in state history with a record of 219-130-43.

Jarrid Denney is a sports reporter for The Register-Guard. He can be reached at jdenney@registerguard.com or on X @jarrid_denney

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Vote! Who is The Register-Guard high school Coach of the Year?